San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-10-17

U
| my eyes, produced singular feeling Of
| disgust. "Pah, - ! muttered, ''rOast NUT
| tOnp' and moved from the spot. My hun
| ger was gone, that was quite certain. /
| felt u quietness about those regions, wher-
ever they may be, which belong TO appc-
| tite. | was almost dreamy in the
| repose which followed morning
so stormy. | walked quietly away
hOmeward in a kind Of daze, try
| ing to make ont something Of what
had happened. The first thing found |
could not remember was the name Of the
old gentleman. When that came back
| to me and under what circumstances |
will tell you as we get along. Bit by
bit l recalled the whole events Of
the afternoon, one after the other. |
saw the old man, with his purple face
I and blOOdshOt eyes and white hair; | saw
the wrinklcd and scanned old negro; /
saw the OCtagOnal room without doors or
Windows; the splendid dinner; the host
watching my every gesture; | remem-
bered everything except the name Of the
man to whom had sold-my appetite
1t was so strange that l laughed when
/ thought of it. l must have been drunk
he gave me good dinner and / took too
much wine; but, then, how was 1t that
remembered clearly evergreen the
| smallest-detail?
On the bed in the one room which con-
stituted my lodging found letter. 1t
was from n firm of lawyers, dated that
evening at G:30-only half an hour after
signed the paper-stating that they were
empowered by client whose name was
not mentioned to give me the sum OF EDO
monthly, to begin from that day and to be
nntI IA
their instructions them And II was all
true!
was too tired with the days adven-
lures to think any more; and though it
was only o'clock went to bed and fell
fast asleep In an hour 1 awoke again
with choking sensation, as if l was eat
ing too much. / knew instantly what
was going on, and by kind of prophetic
insight. The old man was taking his
supper, and taking more than was good
for me. sprang from the bed gasping
for breath. Presently, as | gathered, he
began to drink too much as well. My
brain went round and round. laughed,
sang and danced; and soon after, with
heavy fall rolled senseless on the carpet
and remembered nothing more.
1t was early in the morning when
awOke, still lying on the floor. had n
splitting headache. l had fallen against
some corner of the furniture and black
ened one eye / had broken two chairs
somehow or other. l was cold, ill, and
shaken. / got into bed, and tried to re-
member what had happened. Clearly
must have made a drunken beast of my
self over the dinner, and recled home with
my head full IF fancies and dreams; per-
hapS the dinner itself was a dream and
halluC:natiOn TOO; if so, the pangs Of
hunger would soon recommence. But
they did not. Then fell asleep, and did
not awake again till the clock struck H.
How ill and wretched felt as dressedl
My hand shook, my eyes were red, my
face swollen. Surely / must have been
intoxicated. | had been, up to that day
at least, temperate man, partly, no
doubt, from the very wholesome reason
which keeps 50 many of us sober
the necessity of poverty; but of course |
had not arrived at four and twenty years
and seen so much of the world without
recognizing the signs of too much drink.
i had them, every one; and, as most men
know too well, they are all summed up in
the simple expression, 'hOt cOppers."
Alas! | was destined to become only too
familiar with the accused symptoms.
Involuntary, when | had dressed myself,
| put my hands in my pockets, those
pockets so often empty; there was money,
gOld-sOvercgns-my pocket was full Of
them. | counted them in a stupor.
Forty-nine, and one rolled into the corner
fifty; it was part of the sum for which
| had sold my appetite; and on the table
lay the letter from Messrs. Crackett g.
Charges, inviting me to draw $50 a
month.
Then it was all true!
| sat down, and with my thrObbing
temples and feverish pulse, tried to make
it out Everything became plain except
the name of the purchaser-Mr-Mr.-
| remembered BOule -tle-neige, the house,
the room and the dinner, but not the
name of that arch deceiver, the whole Of
whose villainy | was far from realizing
yet; and until it was told me later on I
never did remember the name.
1t was strange. Men are said to have
sold their souls to the devil for money,
bartering away an eternity of happiness
for few years Of pleasure; but as for me,
| had exchanged, as it seemed at first
sight, nothing but the inconvenience of a
healthy appetite with nothing to eat for
the means of living comfortably without
t. There could be no sin in such trans
action; it was on a different level alto
gether from the bargain made by Faust.
And there were the broad, the benevolent
facts, so to speak-my pockets full Of
Sovereigns; and the letter instructing me
to call at an office for $50 monthly.
Benevolent facts | thought them. You
shall see You think, as l thought, that
no sin could be laid at my door for the
transaction. You shall judge You
think, as thought, that no harm could
follow so simple piece of business. You
shall read. On my may out l met the
landlady, who gave me notice to quit at
the end of the week.
81 thought you were a quiet and a
sober young man." she said. "Ah, never
will trust to good looks again. Me and
he dodgers kept awake till 2 O'Clock in
he morning with your singing and dane
ing, let alone banging the floor with
the chairs! Not another hour after
your weeks up, if you was to pray on
your knees, shall you stay. And next
lOOr threatening the constables; and me
quiet woman for twenty yearsp'
My heart sank again. But after all,
perhaps it vas | myself, not the good old
gentleman, my kind patron and benefac-
tor, at ALL who was the cause of this dis
turbance. 1t was undoubtedly true that
had taken great quantity of wine with
my splendid dinner. begged her pardon
humbly and passed out.
1t was now nearly O'Clock, but felt
no desire for breakfast That was an ex-
perience quite novel to me. Still went
to coffee house, according to habit, and
ordered some tea and q rasher. When
they came l discovered, with horrid